(PRN) Author Honors Real-Life 'Da Vinci Code' Heroes With New Book

Published 10:10 am, Monday, May 8, 2006

LOS ANGELES, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation celebrates the 61st anniversary of V-E Day, Dallas-based author Robert M. Edsel is using the occasion to get the word out about a forgotten group of American World War II heroes: the extraordinary men and women of the War Department's MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives) section, whose rescue efforts saved tens of thousands of Western Civilization's greatest art masterpieces from the clutches of Hitler and the Nazis, including works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Rafael, Vermeer, Picasso, Van Gogh and of course, Da Vinci.

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"A few hundred servicemen and women were primarily responsible for rescuing the greatest art in history and preserving Western Europe's cultural treasures. They deserve to be recognized for their achievement," explains Mr. Edsel. "The anniversary of V-E Day is a great opportunity to begin to recognize these forgotten Americans, and to understand their unique vision, bravery, and ingenuity."

Edsel is also capitalizing on the extraordinary pop-culture phenomenon of Dan Brown's fictional "The Da Vinci Code" and the soon-to-be released feature film blockbuster to direct attention towards the overlooked fact that without the MFAA's real-life heroism and the protective measures taken by their counterparts in other countries, the broad popularity of "The Da Vinci Code" might not have occurred.

Robert Edsel's new photographic book "Rescuing Da Vinci" (Laurel Publishing; 320 pages featuring 460 photographs) uses many never-before-seen images to vividly tell the story of Hitler's life-long obsession with art, his brazen theft of thousands of masterpieces, and the amazing effort by America and her allies to locate, identify and return the stolen art to its rightful owners.

Edsel has been busy using his personal appearances at speaking engagements and book forums throughout the country to bring this untold story to the American public. In the process of researching and compiling his book, the author came to find that many of the cultural institutions that were shaped by the MFAA officers (called "Monuments Men" by American GI's) both before and especially after World War II aren't even aware of their great wartime contribution. "I was very surprised and frankly disappointed to learn that so many of these great museums -- and our Nation as a whole -- have not honored these extraordinary men and women. They have been lost in the fog of history. With the current excitement surrounding 'The Da Vinci Code' I want Americans to realize virtually all of Da Vinci's paintings were at risk of being damaged or destroyed during World War II, especially 'The Last Supper.' The 'Monuments Men' ensured their safety. As captivating as Dan Brown's fiction is, its broad popularity might not have occurred had it not been for the real-life work of the MFAA."

Mr. Edsel is determined to bring attention to the contributions of the "Monuments Men," and has created a website where in addition to being able to purchase "Rescuing Da Vinci," visitors can learn about the MFAA, contribute information about "Monuments Men," and assist in the process of locating and identifying "Monuments Men" and their families.